Automobile-signal.



P. J. WITT.

AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL.

APPLICATION HLED MAY 8 1916.

1 ,890,463 Patented Jan. 7,1919.

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AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8 19KB.

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AUTOMOBILE-SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May a, 1916. Serial No. 96,064.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER J. Wrr'r, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in automobile signals.

Generally, its object is to provide a simple and eflicient device by which the driver of an automobile -may conveniently indicate to other driversand pedestrians the direction in which he proposes to turn.

More particularly it is my object to provide in a signaling device for automobiles, semaphores furnished with electric lamps and having compact, eiiicient and well-protected devices for making and breaking the electrical circuit to said. lamps.

A further object is to provide simple, conveniently accessible and easily applied means to operate the semaphores. 7

Other novel features of construction and arrangement of parts will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in my claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of my signaling device, illustrated in connection with an automobile, shown in dotted lines; Fig. 2 is an elevation of one of the semaphores, a portion of its signal arm being broken away; Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3"3 of Fig. 2; Figs.

4 and 5 are detail views showing in elevation the members of the housing at the joint in one of the semaphores, and the circuit making and breaking devices contained within said members; Flg. 6 is a perspective view of that portion of the operating mechanism which is attached to the steering-post of an automobile; Fig. 7 is a detail perspective view of one of the guides in said operating mechanism; and Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the slide which works In said guide.

Referring to thedrawings, Ihave used the reference letter A to indicate the semaphores and B to designate the operating mechanism therefor. One semaphore 1s placed upon the right side of an automobile and the other upon the left side. Each semaphore includes a signal arm which is shifted between upright and hor zontal ositions by the operating mechanism ormally, both arms are 1n up rlght position, and the movement of the right or left arm to horizontal position signifies that the automobile will turn in the direction indicated by said arm. The signal arm of the right-hand semaphore carries a lamp which may be equipped with front Patented J an. 7, 1919.

and rear green lenses, and said lamp is illuminated when the arm is in horizontal position. The arm of the left-hand semaphore is equipped with a similar lamp which may have red lenses. Thus it will be seen that signals by means of this device are visible both night and day. Theprovision of a green light onvthe right and a red light on the left clearl distinguishes the semaphores at night. T e red light, or danger signal, is employed in the left-hand semaphore for the reason that in turning to the left two paths of traffic are crossed. In turning to the right, an automobile follows the path; of traffic, and for this reason the reen lam or safety signal is employed in t e rightand semaphore. The semaphores A are identical and a description of in The bracket 10 is adaptedtdbe se- 0 red to some partof an automobile, preferably the frame 13 of the wind-shield, and consists of a socket 15 bifurcated into two substantially parallel bars having grips 14 at their ends. A bolt 16 passing through said bars clamps the grips 14 about the frame 13 and firmly secures said bracket thereon. (Fig. 1). The bearing 11 comprises ahollow post 17 and a dished housingmember 18 integral therewith and formed with an axial aperture 19 (Fig. 3). The signal arm 12 is mounted-on said bearing and is adapted to oscillate between upright and horizontal positions. Said arm has a revoluble housing-member 20 similar to the dished stationary housing-member 18 of the bearing 11 and said members are arranged rim-to-rim and form a tight housing for the switch devices, which will be hereinafter described. A bolt 21 attached to the housing-member 20 and extending axially therethrough is journaled in the aperture 19 of the housing-member 18 and pivotally connects said members 18 and 20. The end of the'bolt 21 is supplied with a nut 22 and compression spring 23 to yieldingly hold the members 18 and 20 together. A boss 24, integral with the rotatable housing-member 20, receives one end of a'tube 25 and upon the other end of said tube' is mounted a lamp casing. This casingcomprises an annulus 26 having a boss 27 to receive said tube, said annulus being supplied with rings 28 threaded on its ends to secure lenses 29 in .place. A common lamp socket 30 is inserted in the tube 25 and said socket and boss 127 are secured with'respect to the tube by means of a set-screw 31 (Fig. 3) which passes through the boss 27 and tube 25 and bears against said socket. An electric lamp bulb 31,

fitted in the socket 30, furnishes light which is visible from -the'front and rear of, the automobile through thelenses 29. Switch mechanism contained within the housing formed by the members 18 and automatically connects the electric lamp 31 with a source of electric current (not shown) when the arm 12 is turned to horizontal position and disconnects said lamp from sa1d source when it is raised. This mechanism consists ..of two conta'ct'flanges 32 mounted upon an insulating basev33 in the rotatable housingmember 20 and two curved contact springs 34 mounted upon an insulating base 35 in the stationary housing-member 18. The flanges 32 are diametrically .opposed and so also are the contact springs 34 and said flanges and springs rest at right-angles to eachother when the arm 12 is in upright position. But when said arm 12 is turned to horizontal position, one flange 32 engages one of the contact springs 34 and the other formed by the members 18 and 20 is snug to exclude moisture and dust from the inclosed switch devices.

The tilting of the arm v12 is limited to a quarter-turn by stops 38 upon the periphery of the rotatable housing-member 20, which strike against opposite sides of a lug 39 upon the post 17 of the bearing 11.

To counterbalance the weight of the arm 12 when tilted outwardly, and-to assist in returning the same to upright position, I supply a spring 40 which is coiled about the bolt 21, one end of said spring being attached to the stationary housing-member 18,

I and the other end thereof secured to the rotatable housing-member 20. Said spring is arranged so that the COllS are tightened when i the arm '12 is lowered.

I provide the novel operating mechanism B for shifting the arms 12 of the semaphores and locking the same in upright positions. A conduit 41, preferably small copper tubing, for each semaphore is secured at one end in a clip 42' (Fig. 2) on the bracket 10 and extends to a position near the steering wheel of the automobile. Said conduit is bent on wide curves and is secured at intervals upon the automobile by keepers 43. A wire 44, preferably piano wire, is inserted in the conduit 41 and may be moved longitudinally therein without buckling. One end ofthe wire is rigidly attached by a setscrew 45 in a link 46 pivotally attached to an arm 47 secured upon the rotatable housing-member 20. Encircling the steeringpost 48 of the automobile, is a split ring 49 (Fig. 6), which is supplied with flanges 50 and a bolt 51 passing through said flanges to securely clamp the ring upon said post.

Tubular ears 52 are provided on the sides of the ring, each of which receives athimble 53 at its lower end and a tubular guide 54 at its upper end. The end of one conduit 41 is inserted and secured in one thimble and the end of the other conduit is similarly attached to the other thimble. The wire 44 in each conduit extends into the adjacent tubular guide 54, which contains a cylindrical slide 55 having a thumb piece 56 projecting therefrom and adapted to pass backward and forward in a slot 57 in said guide.

Said wire is inserted in a central bore 58 in the slide 55 and rigidly secured therein bya set-screw 59. Each slot 57 is enlarged at the upper end to form a recess 60 (Fig. 7) into which the thumb-piece 56 may be turned to secure the slide 55. Movement of the thumb-piece 56 from the upper end of the guide 54 to the lower end thereof moves the connected wire 44 endwise in its conduit 41 and causes the arm 12 of its semaphore to be swung outward to horizontal position andreverse movement of said thumb-piece 56 retracts the wire and returns said arm to upright position. Each wire 44 is twisted slightly, when secured at its ends in'the link 45 and slide 55, in such a manner that the torque thereof tends to turn its slide 55 in a clockwise direction as seen in Figs. 6 and 8, i. e., in a direction to turn the thumbpiece 55 into the recess 60 in the guide 54. This arrangement results in automatically locking the slides 55 at the top of the guides 54. whereby the arms 12 of the semaphores A are secured in upright positions.

In use, when the driver is about to turn his machine, for instance to the right, the thumb-piece 56 on the right of the steeringpost is turned from the recess 60 in the guide 54 and pressed downward, thus pushing the wire 44 through the conduit 41 and causing the arm 12 to tilt to horizontal position. When the turning of the automobile is completed, the driver pulls the thumb-piece 56 upward, thus retracting the wire 44 and raising the arm 12. When the thumb-piece reaches the upper end of the guide 54, the

manner when it is desired to indicate an intention to turn to the left.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is: a

1. In a signal device of the class described, an oscillating signal arm adapted to be secured upon an automobile, a conduit leading from a position adjacent to said arm to-a position within the reach of an operator, a wire passing through said conduit and connected with said arm, an actuating device attached upon the other end of said wire to move the same back and forth and thereby shift said signal arm, and locking means for said actuating device, the torque of said wire being adapted to cause and yieldingly maintain the co-action of said operating deviceand lockin means.

2.- In a signal device of the class described, an oscillating slgnal arm adapted to be secured uponan automobile, a conduit leading from a position adjacent to said arm to a positlon within the reach-of an operator, a wire passing through said conduit and connected at one end with said arm, a reciproeating finger-piece attached upon the other end of said wire to move the same back and forth and thereby shift said signal arm, a guide for said finger-piece, a recess in said guide to receive the fingeriece and secure the same, said fingerpiece eing yieldingly held in said recess by the torque of said wire. Whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name to this specification.

PETER .J. WITT. 

